The woman who Kate Middleton lost her mind over in New York wasn't Beyonce

She met the Clintons and Beyonce, but it was a fashion designer who captivated the Duchess of Cambridge in New York.

When Catherine, a fan of high-street fashion, was introduced to Jenna Lyons, the creative director of American jean and casual wear label J. Crew, she appeared to lose her regally rewired mind.

Kate Middleton was as cool as a cucumber when she met Beyonce during her three day visit to New York this week, however she lost her regally rewired mind when she was introduced to J.Crew creative director Jenna Lyons.

Photographs show the pair chatting and laughing like long-lost friends.

"I will say, it feels very powerful [meeting Kate]. I can imagine for her, she's just a normal person – but it doesn't feel like that to me. She's, in essence, a true version of a princess. She's lovely, gracious. It was incredibly exciting," Lyons told Vanity Fair of the encounter.

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Perhaps the duchess was so animated because she wore Lyons' threads the night before, where she teamed a pair of J.Crew skinny jeans with a coat by fellow American designer Tory Burch, to meet Hillary and Chelsea Clinton as well as Beyonce and Jay Z at an NBA game.

Catherine has a history of sporting local duds when on tour. She wore a day dress by Zimmermann for a visit to Manly Beach during the royal couple's Australian visit in April.

However, before she sat courtside in Brooklyn and was cuddled by NBA star LeBron James, she already looked like a sassy New Yorker when she responded to some attitude she copped by dosing out a royal side eye.

While wrapping presents for underprivileged children in Harlem during her official tour of the Big Apple with Prince William this week, the former Miss Middleton was told to "keep wrapping" by a staffer at the Northside Centre for Child Development.

Her response was a mischievous smirk and eye roll caught on camera that was broadcast at the same time the news ticker read: "Kate Middleton gets a taste of New York City charm".

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The side eye, made famous by Sophia Loren and First Lady Michelle Obama, is defined by Gen Y's version of the Concise Oxford, Urban Dictionary, as "a facial expressing one's criticism, disapproval, animosity, or scorn of varying levels of intensity towards another person."

While the duchess is usually the epitome of grace and charm, her side-eye slip up could be blamed on pesky pregnancy hormones. Or perhaps it was something she picked up while meeting Beyonce.